Apple Adds a Bit of Pro to Low-End MacBook

With no fanfare whatsoever, Apple refreshed its entry-level MacBook this morning, swapping it out for a faster machine featuring longer battery life and a better video chip.

With a 2.4GHz Intel (INTC) Core 2 Duo processor, an Nvidia (NVDA) GeForce 320m graphics chip and 10 hours of battery life, the updated MacBook is similar in spec to the 13-inch MacBook Pro, though with the more budget-friendly price that has made it successful in the education market–$999.

A nice update to a machine that was last tweaked in October 2009, when Apple (AAPL) gave it a new polycarbonate unibody design, LED-backlit display, and multitouch trackpad.

Not much more to point out beyond that, though it’s worth noting that the machine is identical to the one described in a leak to Vietnamese Web site Tinhte earlier this week.